1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile phone, and more specifically the improvement in a mobile phone which allows users to view television broadcasts.
2. Description of Related Art
Some of mobile phones are provided with an antenna which receives television broadcast waves transmitted from television stations, in which television images are displayed on a display screen and television audio corresponding to the television images is outputted on the basis of the television broadcast waves, thereby a user is allowed to view television broadcasts (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2 for example).
External output device, such as a speaker incorporated in a mobile phone to amplify and output television audio, and earphones to be connected to an external output terminal which is provided in a mobile phone, is used as audio output means for outputting television audio. When a user views a television broadcast at home or in an environment where no one is around, or when several friends get together to view a television broadcast, television audio can be outputted from a speaker. On the contrary, on a train or in an environment surrounded by many unspecified people, a user is allowed to view a television broadcast by outputting television audio via an external outputting device such as earphones without causing trouble to surrounding people.
Meanwhile, when the user talks over the telephone between the other party phone, voice from the other party phone can be heard by moving a receiver provided in a mobile phone close to an ear of the user. Voice from the other party phone can also be outputted from a speaker or an external outputting device in communication with the other party phone. In commonly used mobile phones in which television broadcasts can be received, users are thus allowed to call by selecting any one among a receiver, a speaker and an external output device, and to view television broadcasts by selecting either a speaker or an external device.
Mobile phones disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are provided with a display case created with a display screen and an operation case having an arrangement with a number of operation keys, in which the display case is rotatably held by the operation case within a face of horizontally disposing the display screen. Mobile phones of this type has, for example, the display screen created into a rectangular shape, in which the display case is rotated with respect to the operation case so as to use the display screen switched between a longitudinally extended state brought by setting a longitudinal direction of the display screen as a vertical direction, and the laterally extended state brought by setting a widthwise direction of the display screen as a vertical direction.
Since television images typically have a laterally extended aspect ratio, setting the display screen to the laterally extended state provides excellent display of television images. In contrast, when a user answers a call from the other party phone, the mobile phone is used by setting the display screen to a longitudinally extended state. Commonly used mobile phones are provided with a transmitting microphone for inputting voice at one end of the operation case in a longitudinal direction, and a receiver for outputting voice from the other party phone at one end of the display case in a longitudinal direction. Accordingly, a user moves the mobile phone close to the face by using the display screen in a longitudinally extended state while disposing the transmitting microphone close to the mouth and the receiver close to the ear, so that satisfactory communication can be realized.
As another example of mobile phones which allows users to view television broadcasts, mobile phones are proposed such that, when an electronic mail is received while viewing a television broadcast, a notification is displayed on a display screen for a user to confirm reception of the electronic mail without interrupting the user to view the television broadcast (e.g. refer to Patent Documents 3 and 4). In such mobile phones, users who confirmed reception of an electronic mail carry out a predetermined operation to start an application for browsing character information of the electronic mail, whereby full text of the electronic mail can be displayed for browsing on the display screen. If necessary, an operation is carried out to start an application for creating an electronic mail so as to create a reply electronic mail to a received electronic mail.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-215180    Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-12344    Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-130132    Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-198259